The present invention relates to a pinch-grip hanger, and more particularly to such a hanger formed exclusively of plastic.
Pinch-grip hangers are well known in the hanger art. Such a hanger has a hanger body, an attachment portion for securing the hanger body to a support (such as a rod), and at least one pinch-grip depending from the hanger body for receiving an article for hanging. Where the hanger body suspended from the attachment portion has a pinch-grip at each end thereof, such a hanger is often referred to as an "end-clip hanger body." The pinch-grip typically includes a pair of components, each of the components including a bottom end and a top end. The article is received between the bottom ends of the two components for suspension thereby. The typical pinch-grip additionally includes means for biasing the component bottom ends together into an abutting, closed orientation while permitting separation of the bottom ends to a separated, open orientation.
There are two basic types of pinch-grip hangers. In the first type, the biasing means is always operative to bias the bottom ends of the components together into an abutting closed orientation, the force exerted by the user in opening the pinch-grip necessarily being sufficient to overcome the force exerted by the biasing means. The second type--and this is the type to which the present invention is directed--has a biasing means which is moveable between an inoperative, raised position and an operative, lowered position relative to the components. In the lowered operative position, the biasing means biases the component bottom ends together into an abutting, closed orientation. However, when the user raises or elevates the biasing means to an elevated, inoperative position, the biasing means does not bias the component bottom ends together into the abutting, closed orientation. Thus the user is then able to separate the component bottom ends with minimal force to insert therebetween an article to be suspended.
For economic reasons and ease of manufacture, the hanger is typically formed primarily of plastic with the hanger body, the attachment portion and the component pair of the pinch-grip being formed exclusively of plastic. For practical reasons, however, the hanger is not formed exclusively of plastic. The biasing means (which biases the bottom ends of the components together into an abutting, closed orientation while permitting separation of the bottom ends to a separated, open orientation) have been formed of metal or other non-plastic materials in order to provide the high degree of biasing ideally required for the biasing means. Clearly the biasing means must be strong enough to maintain the bottom ends in the abutting, closed orientation (or a non-abutting, semi-closed orientation when the article being suspended is disposed between the bottom ends), or the article may accidentally drop off the hanger. Another stumbling block in the path of an all-plastic pinch-grip is the need to maintain the two bottom ends of the components juxtaposed so that they exert an appropriate clamping action on the article there between when they are in the semi-closed orientation. Where the components are separate from each other, and connected only by a single hinge they can, under the influence of the biasing means, become mis-aligned and thus incapable of successfully maintaining an article between the bottom ends thereof.
In the typical pinch-grip hanger, the biasing means is movable between a downward or operative position wherein it biases the bottom ends together into an abutting, closed orientation and an upward or inoperative position permitting separation of the bottom ends to a separated, open orientation. However, while the upward position of the biasing means permits manual separation of the bottom ends, it frequently does not cause the bottom ends to separate automatically into the separated, open orientation. Thus the user of the hanger must manually separate the bottom ends to enable articles to be placed there between. Thus the need remains for a pinch-grip hanger which automatically moves the bottom ends into a separated open orientation when the biasing means is moved to the upward position.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a pinch-grip hanger formed exclusively of plastic.
Another object is to provide such a hanger wherein each pinch-grip includes spine means, separate from the biasing means, for pivotally securing together the components and ensuring appropriate alignment of the bottom ends thereof.
It is also an object of the present invention to provide such a hanger wherein the bottom ends of the components are biased towards a separated, open orientation.
A further object is to provide such a hanger which is inexpensively and easily manufactured, used and maintained.